


The Child of the Abyss

by Fukkit



Category: Made in Abyss (Anime), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Mineta Minoru Doesn't Exist, Attempt at Humor, Body Horror, Gen, Midoriya Izuku is a Dork, Out of Character, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Shinsou Hitoshi Replaces Mineta Minoru, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-07-31 20:34:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20121265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fukkit/pseuds/Fukkit
Summary: When Izuku turns 3 his life is disrupted. He's sucked into a strange new world with no way back. Over the years he finds a new home and has adapted. But one day, something brings him back to his old world and he finds himself having to readjust all over again. What's a Narehate gotta do to get some peace?(Summary is subject to change along with tags and title. I'm not sure what I'm doing lmao.)





	1. Prologue: When it all goes to Hell

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first story I've ever written and it's honestly kinda nerve wreaking posting this. The idea to write this just popped into my head after seeing how little MiA fics there are.  
Why did I make it into a crossover?  
I have no idea but I thought, why the hell not.  
I'm not a hundred percent sure where this story is gonna head and I'm also not sure if I'll ever finish it but I'll try.  
(I'm also using this as an excuse to get better at writing.)  
Thank you for giving this a shot and reviews are always welcomed.

All Inko could do was hold her breath and pray that the man would walk past her and Izuku. Earlier that day everything was going great. It was Izuku's 3rd birthday and the Bakugou's, close family friends of the Midoriyas', came over to their apartment to celebrate.

“Look, look Kacchan!” shrieked Izuku in excitement while holding up the brand new All Might figurine.

“HELL YEAH! Come on! Let's play Heroes vs Villains,” exclaimed Katsuki while trying to dragging Izuku to his room, “ I'll be the hero!” Izuku let out on indigent noise. “But I wanna be the hero this time! I'm always the villain.” “ Well that's to bad nerd! Heroes aren't crybabies and you are.”

“W-what? No I'm not!”

“Are too!” Katsuki guffawed. “Look! Your eyes are all wet!”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Yuh-uh!”

“NUH-UH!”

“YUH-UH!”

Before they could continue Mitsuki cut them off with a laugh. “Alright boys, I know you two want to play but it's time for us to go back home, it's getting late. We can back some other time.” Inko hummed in agreement while wrapping up some leftovers for the Bakugous' to take home. “But-!” Masaru piped in with a quick nope before he could continue. “Don't argue brat,” said Mitsuki and with a sly smirk added,” Growing heroes need their sleep. Don’t you want to grow-up big and strong?” Katsuki’s mouth clenched shut and after a minute of deliberation he begrudgingly nodded.

Inko laughed. “Thank you all for coming over it was wonderful. What do you say Izu-kun?” “OH! Thanks for coming and thanks for the gifts!” Izuku replied with a bright smile.

“ Of course,” Mitsuki chuckled and softly smacked Katsuki on the back of the head. “And what do you say Katsuki?”

“Waddya mean?”

She smacks him again slightly harder this time. “

Fine fine. Thanks for enviting us,” he mumbled out and softly added, “Happy birthday nerd.” With a huge grin on his face now Izuku thanked them again. After one more round of goodbyes the Bakugous' left. The Midoriyas’ walk back to the living room both content.With her hands on her hip Inko turns to look back at Izuku. “Alright young man, it's time for you to go to bed. You can play with all your new toys tomorrow.” After a small amount of pleading from her son, Inko lead Izuku to his room and quickly got him situated and into bed. With a kiss to his forehead she softly whispered him happy birthday one last time. “Night mama,” Izuku slurred sleepily,”Love you.” Inko smiled and went to her own room and got ready for sleep.

This is when everything strated to go wrong.

●●●●●●●

It couldn’t have been more than three hours later when a loud crash woke Inko back up. She quickly got up and went out into the hallway. Slowly she peeked her head back out into the living area. Stifling a scream she quickly pulled her head back. There in the middle of the room stood a man softly cursing to himself. A thousand thoughts went through her head until finally screeching to a halt on one -

_Izuku!_

As quietly as she could she went to his bedroom. “Mama,” came a sleepy voice, “Is that you?” “Yes sweetie. I-I need you to do me a favor,” she replied while glancing back into the hallway nervously, “ I need you to stay v-very quiet. I’m going to t-take you to my r-room and we are gonna hide. Understand?” Izuku now wide awake could only nod in confusion. Inko quickly scoops him up and darts back into her own bedroom. Gently placing Izuku inside her wardrobe she uses her quirk to pull her phone towards her. Shakily she dials the police.

“Musustafu Police Department what’s your emergency?”

Slightly jumping she nervously explains what is happening. “P-please. Send someone quick.” She climbs into the wardrobe with an openly crying Izuku and closes the doors. “Don't w-worry Izu. I’m here; everything will b-be fine,” Inko whispers. Before she can continue loud footsteps could be heard from outside the hallway startling her and causing Izuku to let out a small whimper.

“Ma'am, what’s the current situation?” asks the voice from the phone.

“T-t-the man is by the door,” she frantically whispers while pulling Izuku close to her chest to muffle his cries. “Don't panic ma'am help is on th-“

**Boom**

The door slamming open cuts the operator off. The muffled footsteps can be heard along with Inko's wildly beating heart and Izuku's suppressed cries.

_Thump_

_Thump_

_Thump_

_Thump_

All Inko could do was hold her breath and pray that the man would walk past her and Izuku.

_Thump_

Her heart stops. They stopped right outside the wardrobe….

The doors suddenly swing open hitting the wall with loud bangs! and both Midoriyas' release small screams. Clutching Izuku to her chest she opens her eyes and freezes.

There's nobody there.

Panting, her eyes dart around, searching for anything a sign a clue something- She nearly misses the hand reaching in and grabbing her baby boy.

“**IZUKU**!”

“**MOMMY**!”

The rest of the mans body appears from a slowly forming portal she had missed seeing in her panic. The police operator is all but forgotten for the intruder with her son. The man dressed in all black stares at her intently with his toxic yellow eyes while showing off his shark like teeth in a crazed smile. Izuku struggles in his grip and tries to punch and kick his way free. The man just chuckles at his pitiful attempts. In her manic state Inko gets ready to make a wild grab for the man before a loud voice stops her.

“Stop right there villain!” shouts the voice by the door.

_Who!? Womancoustumeiceformingatthehands-herothankgodfinally_

Before the hero could come closer the man shrieks at her to stop. “Don’t move! Any of you get closer and tha boy gets it!” He flicks his wrist.

_Shink _

Time stops.

Inko could only stare in horror as the villain brought a knife to her son's- her babys'- neck. Izuku's cries get louder and his attempts to escape stop.

The hero _(Ice Queen- a voice that suspiciously sounds like Izuku- supplies her in the back of her mind)_ glares in disgust.

“Could you stoop any lower?” Ice Queen spits out. The man only grins in response. They stare stare at each other for a minute before everything goes straight to hell.

Ice Queen ventures to make a grab for her son who could only shriek as the man stumbles backwards, clearly not expecting the hero to actually make a move. During the small rush he drops the knife and tries to make a portal. He finally succumbs to gravity and falls- not before dropping Izuku

_Straight into the portal _

The man crashes into a nightstand knocking himself out and Inko screams.

●●●●●●●●

It isn't until about an hour later when the man is taken into custody and the police get a report from a regretful looking Ice Queen that Inko finally talks to someone.

A rather tired looking person wearing a tan trench coat and fedora comes up and introduces himself as Detective Tsukauchi.

“We got bad news and good news. Good news is: we got a name and a quirk from the villain,” Tsukauchi sighs, “His name is Sunpō Kei and his quirk is called Dimensional Portals. The culprit can open portals to different worlds.”

Inko quietly sobs. “Just please tell me you can find my son.”

He grimaces. “There's the bad news. Because of all the panic, Sunpō isn't sure where the portal opened up to. “ Tsukauchi runs a hand against his forehead and hypes himself up to tell the woman even more devastating news. Swallowing what feels like a brick he just goes for it. “Sunpō also admitted to only being able to open the same portal twice. To and from the place. It's going to be difficult to properly locate your son.” And all Inko can do is wail.

●●●●●●●●

In a land far away, deep in the Abyss, a child? wakes up.


	2. An Eventful Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I have fallen into an abyss. I live in a world so curious, so strange. Of the dream that was my life, this is a nightmare."  
~ Camille Cluadel
> 
> A new friend is made and an old foe shows up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Words that are in bold and italicized are Ilblu language.  
-Words that are in bold, italicized and underlined means someone is speaking full Ilblu language.  
-Words only underlined are direct quotes taken from MiA manga.

_It hurts._

_His body feels like it's on fire. There's a sharp stinging pain running throughout his entire being. He wishes it would stop. Izuku tries to move his left arm and only gets a small twitch and more pain for his troubles. Groaning, he forces his eyes to open and is nearly blinded by a bright light. Once the stark whiteness fades, he tries to look around._

_Izuku freezes. The pain now forgotten, he bolts up into a sitting position._

_Where in the **world** is he?_  
_It looked like a decrepit city. The ruins seemed to stretch on forever with no end in sight. Buildings were scattered everywhere. Some of them were facing sideways, others diagonally, and he could spot a few that were even upside down. It was all covered in what seemed like crystals that were colors he had never seen before._

_It's like nothing made any sense._

_"Mama?" He croaked out._  
_"Mama," he called out once again. "Where are you?"_  
_Panic was starting to set in._  
_He scrambled to stand up and felt a wave of dizziness. Izuku struggled to gather his bearings and tried to move forward. He only managed to make it a few feet before another wave of pain hit him. Everything felt wrong. He felt sick._  
_What was on his arms? Was that fur? What's happening? His nails are-!?_  
_A loud screech cuts off his chain of thoughts, sending a large chill down his spine. Slowly, he turns to the source of the noise and screams._

_What is that!?_

_In the far distance stood a creature that seemed larger than life itself. It almost looked like a horse with a giraffe's neck that tapered off into a beak. It was covered in scales like you would see on a reptiles. Long spines went down from its neck to the monsters back ending at protrusions that almost resembled wings. It was a horrifying amalgamation of animals that Izuku had seen from TV shows or in books._

_Izuku was spiraling. He was stuck in a strange place with scary monsters and the pain was slowly getting worse and where ishismother- _

_The world goes black and all the pain and fear disappears._

* * *

  
Smack

Grumbling could be heard from a small mound of blankets.

Smack

"Go away," a sleepy voice replied from the blanket _fort._

_Smack_

_"OWWW!"_ The owner of the voice jolted upwards. "I get it, I get it, I'm awake now so stopping hitting me."

The woman next to him just laughs and waves her weapon around.  
(It's not an actual weapon. It's a ladle, he's just being dramatic.)

"_**Reizochi reizochi**_. You were in a deep sleep. I had trouble waking you up. Did you have that dream again?" The woman asks him softly.  
"Yeah....it's always the same memory. From before I was found; when I first got here."  
She hums thoughtfully. "Maybe something big is gonna happen an' it's just the Abyss' way of telling ya."  
Izuku just groans in response.  
"I hope not."  
"Anyway," the womans says while turning to leave the room,"come and eat. I'll make your favorite Izu."  
His ears perk up at that.  
"Thank you, Moogie," Izu tells her with a soft smile. "Your food cheers me up everytime."  
Moogie twinkles at him and leaves the room.

She's a kind person (person? Debatable; it's a bit hard to believe she was human once, now she's a Narehate, a hollow) that took him in when he was lost and scared.  
Moogie looks like what the love child of a frog and octopus would be (if he remembers what they look like correctly). It sounds like a horrifying combination, but in her case, she looks sweet and huggable.

Yawning, he leaves his nest of a bed and stretches, popping his joints in the process. He casts a look around his room eyeing all of his trinkets, his values. Somehow, he managed to keep it into an organized clutter.  
"_I wonder if there is an extra part to the curse that we never realized_," Izu mused jokingly.  
He leaves the not-quite-house (it's more of hole dug into the ground to be honest) and begins his trek to Moogie's restaurant for food. He passes through the market and all of its strange vendors while eyeing every item that catches his interest.

Embellith, a Narehate that looks similar to a jellyfish, just larger and flatter, has an interesting find.  
A blade that curves slightly right in the middle and widens towards the end into a sharp edge. The handle is made out of a dark wood and has an intricate design of flowers on _it._  
_Eternal Fortunes,_ he notes. White flowers that can bloom anywhere, even deep down in the Abyss. The Flower of _Fortitude._

_That's it,_ Izu decides, _I have to have it._  
Nodding to himself he continues on to Moogie’s restaurant while devising a plan to get the knife.

_Embellith values touch I believe. They like to be climbed on by small children and hates small bugs. Would me climbing all over his back for awhile be enough payment for the knife?_  
Instead of using currency like back in-  
.......  
Let's not go there. Ilblu uses a bartering and trading system. The inhabitants trade using things of equal or higher value. The items value is determined by the one in possession of it and by the village itself based on how important the object is to the owner. The entire notion of it is important and if a customer causes damage to a valued item before paying....let's just say things can get pretty sad and violent.  
Ilblu is a strange place.  
●◇●◇●◇●  
Izu finally arrives at the crowded restaurant. A wide arrange of creatures pile together in order to get a taste Moogie's cooking.  
Moogie has the distinctive ability to create any flavor and texture the customer wants making it a popular place to visit. 

"There you are kiddo! I was wondering when you would show up!" greets Moogie once Izu has finally mange to push and shove his way up front.  
Izu chuckles sheepishly. "Sorry **_Iruburu._** I got distracted by something."  
"Hmm, I thought so. Here," she says while putting down a plate of mystery meat down in front of him. "Enjoy it, alright?"  
Izu nods happily and digs in.  
The taste of pork, rice, and vegetables flood his tastebuds.  
It's the taste of Katsudon, just like his mother used to make for him.  
A melancholy smile forms on his face.  
He continues to eat and pushes memories of the past towards the back of his mind.  
●♡●♡●♡●♡  
A small body pushes through the crowd of Narehates and finally manages to make it to the front. Riko plops down next to a boy? and waits to order. The boy? (it's hard to tell the genders of the inhabitants sometimes) is eating from a plate of meat that smells wonderful, but it's not what attracted her here.

Dark green fur that gleams black spreads all the way down from their torso to their legs, ending with bird-like feet and sharp black claws. Their hands are human-like but the nails are black and have been cut down into blunt edges. The Narehate's ears take after an elves', like the ones she had read about in stories back at the orphanage. But the most prominent features on them were the horns that looked like they belonged to a bull and the skin that wasn't fur or a cloth wrapping was covered in scars.

A plate being set down in front of her startles her out of her musings. On it was a huge ball of.... something. Although it looks a bit eerie, it emits a delicious aroma. She pokes it with the stick/spoon she’s handed and jumps as it pops open revealing that the amazing smell was coming from meat inside of it.

She takes a small bite and pauses....

She starts shoveling food into her mouth.

Riko, immersed with her food almost misses the alarmed choke come from beside her. Turning her head towards the noise, she is met with four stunning bright green eyes with slit pupils. The boy's face (she's positive it's a boy now) is filled with freckles that remind of stars.  
●◇●◇●◇●◇  
Izu, being the nervous wreck that he is only manages to spit out, "W-w-wa-hat?"

The girl looks at him in concern.

"Are you alright?"

"Don't mind him," pipes up Moogie from her spot at the stove. "It's been a while since a human has shown up here. Especially a child at that."  
The girl perks up. "OH! I can understand you!"  
"Yup, I've picked up both languages over the course of time," she replied.  
"Izu there is fluent also. You just have to give him a moment."  
The aforementioned person blushes a bright red. " S-sorry. I was just startled is all. U-um, my name is Izuku b-but everyone calls me Izu. That's Moogie over there," he says shyly while pointing at the cooking woman.  
Moogie hums in greeting.

Smiling brightly, the girl bows down fast at a perfect 90 degree angle, her pigtails whipping onto the unfortunate creature currently in front of her with a loud thwap! 

" My names Riko and I'm a White Whis- oh! Wait! I don't have my whistle with me,” she mumbles. After a moment of deliberation, she adds on, “I'm a delver!"

“U-umm, Riko, what are you doing all the way down here in the sixth layer?” Izu questions meekly. “I’m sure you must have heard of this layers curse, right? Why risk it?”

She seemed nice so far and Izu hates the thought that she could die or even lose her humanity…. Not everyone is so lucky- and he uses that word lightly- to become a Narehate.

“To look for my mother and learn the secrets of the Abyss!” Riko replies brightly.

Izu blinks slowly. “Your mother?”

“Yup! She's supposed to be here somewhere in the lower layers. Her whistle and some of her notes and a letter were found but no body. I have to find out what happened,” she says with a determined glint in her green eyes.

“Well, I wish you the best of luck.”

“Thanks. Oh!” Riko exclaims whilst snacking a fist in to her open palm jolting him. “ Does anyone else here speak?”  
Izu nods and points to the hulking figure beside her. “Wazukyan of the Three Sages here does.”  
She blinks and stares as if she's just noticing him for the first time.

Wazukyan is hard to miss. He's an imposing sight with his intricately crafted fur robes, large blunt horns that curve upward and come back down and flat face that looks like half a skull is painted on, on the right side.

He notices them looking and greets them.

“Having fun?”

“U-uh y-yes,” Riko stutters.

“Good! Good to hear! There are bad people every once in awhile but you’ll notice we're all good here,” he replies cheerfully.

Turning back to Izu, she asks, “What are the Three Sages?”  
“O-oh” he blushes and gently scratches his cheek. “That's right, you're new here. Um, anyway, the Three Sages are basically the bosses. They helped make Ilblu village.”

“Whelp,” Wazukyan pipes up from beside them, “It was nice meeting ya!” He turns to leave, pushing through the crowd all while making short conversations with the other patrons.

Riko just shakes off the strangeness of the conversation and returns to eating. “This stuff tastes amazing! What is it?”  
Moogie glances at her and smiles. “ It's cooked testicle. My shop is the only place you can buy it. We have a customer that supplies them.”

Riko just stares blankly.

“….anyway, can you guys tell me more about this place and some of the language everyone speaks?”

Moogie hums in agreement and Izu nods. “In return can you tell me more about the other layers and the place above the Abyss?”

“Of course!”

They stay there trading stories even when the restaurant closes and they're the only ones left.  
●◇●◇●◇●◇  
“Do have any idea where my friends could be?” Riko asks after talking about her latest adventure .  
Thinking for a moment Moogie finally speaks up. “There is a place at the edge of the village, a place where nobody enters. It's called Dogupu, “within the eye". None of us have actually explored inside it, we just instinctively run away from it. But, since none of your friends are from the village, it wouldn’t be too strange for them to go explore there.”

Riko brightened up at the thought. Bowing again she thanks them. “Thank you for everything but I should go look for them now.” 

“Of course,” Izu agrees. “Thank you for telling me stories. I hope you can find your friends.”  
With a smile, Riko waves goodbye and leaves.

“What an interesting child,” Moogie pipes up after a moment of silence. Izu just hums.  
“Well, I'll be going now. I want to see if I can get that knife from Embellith.” He says, jumping off of his seat. “Goodbye Moogie, I'll see you later.”

“Goodbye Izu. Good luck on getting your desired item.”

Exiting the shop, he goes down the road leading to market. Once there he weaves his way through until he finally settles in front of Embellith. His ears perk up noticing that the knife is still there. “Hello,” he greets. Pointing to knife he says, “ **_Kefukeferi?”_**

Embellith glances at it and releases a breath of air that sounds like wind escaping through tiny cracks of wood. “**_I'll give it to you in exchange for you walking on me for some time.”_** Izu easily agrees to it. _“Well,”_ he _thought,”_ I better get to it.” Stretching real quick he jumps onto Embellith's back and begins his payment.  
●○●○●○●○  
Walking back home, Izu admires his newly acquired knife. The blade glints in the light and he can't help but the thought that passes through his mind saying how beautiful it is. Not even five steps away from his home he stops when he hears a commotion.

Standing there in confusion he perks up after realizing what's going on. “ A Summoning!” He squeals in excitement. Because the people of Ilblu couldn't actually leave the village they regularly lure in creatures fro0m the outside to hunt. This increases the gross value of the village and makes it plentiful.

He follows the racket until he finds the hunt and pauses.

This creature has been here before… the Fuzosheppu. It's enormous amorphous and gelatinous body flails around, snatching up Narehate's left and right. The head bears similarities with a crustaceans and its color is transparent enough that you can see its internal organs.

“It's bigger this time,” he realizes. “It ate so many of us and fled before it finished.” He runs to try and get closer but he stops when he notices some familiar faces. “Riko! Majikaya!” Both turn to look at him, one human and the other that looks like a mishmash of different parts. 

“Izu!” exclaims Riko while Majikaya just offers him a hello. There's two others with them, a Narehate's name who he can’t recall and an unfamiliar face. They look like Riko- human. The only difference is that they're swamped in clothing. _“Maybe to hide their identity? But why?”_ he questions to himself before a loud roar snaps him back to reality.

“Juroimoh of the Three Sages!” Majikaya yelps in glee. “The market's the keystone of this villages value…he's not going to let it go through!”

The unfamiliar person- a girl- murmurs to his side. “The Three Sages? Huh…so people like him are doing that job now…”

Before he could question what she means, he's drawn back to the fighting by Juroimoh pulling a long club from the hole in his midriff.

With his weapon Juroimoh makes an intimidating sight. Out of all the Narehate's in the village, he has the most monstrous appearance, in his opinion. His back is covered in an armor-like shell that creeps up to form three horns on top of his head. He has a large mouth full of sharp teeth and a second orifice on his stomach, where his club was stored. Tentacles cover his bottom half like a pelt and his arms and legs are reminiscent of an elephant's.

“I’ve never got to see him fight before,” Izu says in awe. “I’ve only heard stories from Moogie and others.”

All of a sudden Juroimoh lunges at the Fuzosheppu, striking it with his club only for it to go straight through it. Juroimoh brings his weapon back up and destroys part of the bridge that's directly above him, causing some of the villagers to scramble to get away. The creature takes its chances and strikes back, burning him.

“It's too crowded here. He can't use the club properly,” Majikaya explains.  
Riko and Izu share a look of concern. “Well he be alright?” questions Riko.

“Hmm… it's more of a problem than I thought. He can't unleash his full strength and the other Sages’ won't come out unless the village is being threatened,” Majikaya replies.

“I feel like it's being threatened though,” Riko deadpans while Izu nods fervently in agreement. “Why did Juroimoh come out then?”

“He values rough work so he'll come out on his own when the prey is tough.”  
Before any of them can reply, a voice behind them pipes in. “There you are Izu! And Riko too!”

“Moogie!” says Izu at the same time Riko yells, “Dining hall lady!”

“Dining hall lady? The names Moogie kid. Anyway, what are you two doing here? It's dangerous ya know?”

Riko waves her arms around wildly. “The same goes for you too Moogie!”

“That's why I’m not a alone.” Izu finally notices her pizza cutter-like weapon and the slowly growing crowd of Narehate's behind her. He jolts in surprise. “You're gonna go help fight?!”  
Moogie nods. “ You two should get to safety. The further up you go, the safer.”  
“But-!”  
“No buts,” Moogie cuts them off with a stern look. “Riko, you have your friends to find and Izu, you're **_family.”_** Softly she adds, "**_I don’t think I could stand to lose you._**” With tears in his eyes, he slowly agrees and a second later Riko does too.  
●○●○●○●○  
Now at a higher distance, Riko, the three Narehate's and strange woman could only watch on as the Fuzosheppu slowly decimates the Narehate fighters.

Majikaya notices the two children’s growing horror. “Calm down you two. You’re both getting agitated and Rikos' giving off a strange sent.”

Izu finally bursts,” But we can’t stand here and do nothing while everyone down there is getting eaten!”  
“He's right!”

The strange woman- Vueko, she told him- pipes in. “Nobody here knows where they come from nor what they are, so it's easier to take the defensive and allow it to liquidate us. The value increases as a result so I guess in the end it works out…” she trails off.

This only causes Izu to distress more, but

Riko gets a strange glint in her eyes. “Majikaya! I have a question!” She leans in close to him and whispers.

“…Lots of value, even with that much. You can do many things with that.”

Izu ears twitch in interest and his eyes widen. Determination sets in.

Riko turns towards them and they begin planning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Reizochi" - sorry  
"Iruburu" - means mother 10% of the time which is what is being implied here  
"Dogupu" - within the eye  
"Kefukeferi" - How much is this worth?
> 
> Ilblu has a confusing language system ;-;
> 
> *The knife Izu gets is based off of a Kukri knife*
> 
> I've been going back and forth between the manga and wiki constantly trying to get things right lmao
> 
> Writings pretty difficult for me but I'm trying to write longer chapters. (Gotta admire writers that can write thousands upon thousands of words (where do you learn this power???))
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! 💕


	3. What could possibly go wrong?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.  
~Friedrich Nietzsche
> 
> The plan is acted upon and old secrets are spilled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Words that are in bold and italicized are Ilblu language.  
-Words that are in bold, italicized and underlined means someone is speaking full Ilblu language.  
-Words only underlined are direct quotes taken from MiA manga

“_Don’t worry! We've planned everything out, we know what to do so there's no need to panic! …. I think._”

Izu was panicking in spite of Riko's (failed) attempt to encourage him. His thoughts are running rampant; a million different scenarios pass through his mind with each outcome getting worse and worse. He shakes his head rapidly to get rid of the terrifying thoughts and continues to run towards the fight.

The plan in mind sounds simple enough, but actually executing it is on a whole other level of difficulty. He had to gather as many of the other Narehate's as he could and bring them to the edge of the village, right where a huge mirror-like surface was. The sounds of fighting and yelling get louder and Izu pushes himself to go faster. He finally reaches the fight and skids to a halt. He sucks in a breath of air harshly.

Izu stares in horror at the sight before him. Juroimoh is close to his last legs; the Fuzosheppu was dealing more damage then he was. His skin was dripping off his body like melted candle wax from the creature's acid. He was stumbling more and more and his hits were getting weaker. He forces himself to look away from the horrific scene and continue forward. _I have to go and collect the others. Focus on that._ He chants to himself. After a minute of running, Izu stops, spotting a familiar face. “Moogie!”

Moogie turns away from the fight and stares at him in confusion and than shock once she sees him. “What in Ilblu are you doing here?! I thought you were somewhere safe-” A loud screech cuts her off. Their heads snap towards the source and Izu winces. Juroimoh won't last much longer, they have to get to work and fast. He turns his attention back to Moogie and tries to explain. “I-I know you told us to get away from here, but we couldn't just hide while everyone out here is dying trying to stop the Fuzosheppu. Riko came up with a plan to help,” Moogie looks confused and before she could cut him off, he rushes to explain. “We need as many of the others to help us. We need a group that can pin and hold it down while a second group attacks it all at once.” She glances back at the Fuzosheppu and than back at him. “I don't know Izu…”  
“I-I know it isn't the most sound plan, but it's better nothing. If we don’t stop it now it could come back again and than it would be a never ending cycle of losing and fighting. With this, we might actually have a chance.”

She contemplates for a second and when Juroimoh let’s out a scream of pain she gains a determined expression. “All right, I'll bite. I’ll start gathering up the two groups. Where do we meet?” Izu sighs in relief. “At the mirror. That’s where we'll finish it off.” “How are you gonna get it there?”

“Riko and Majikajya offered to act as bait and lead it there. They went to pick something up from Poriyon, the jeweler, first.” He thought it might be better to leave out the part where he would also act as bait.

Moogie squints at him suspiciously. “And you?”  
Izu starts sweating. Maybe she was going to find out anyway. “U-um…” Before he could spit out some half-assed answer Moogie just sighs and pulls him in for a hug. “What ever you're planning to do, just promise me you'll be careful.” His eyes start to water and nods with a sniff. “I promise I'll be careful as along as you promise the same.”

She pushes him back a bit and presses her head down to his, nuzzling it softly. “Of course,” she says gently. “Now go on. I’ll get everyone there.” With a determined nod he smiles at one last time and rushes off. She let’s out a sigh and turns back to gather the groups. “ I guess we'll need some nets.”

●□●□●□●□●□

Vueko winces as Juroimoh takes another hit and stumbles. “He has about a minute left in him at this rate.” She whispers nervously to herself while tugging on the pants she's wearing as a hat closer to herself. She casts a glance to the Narehate's rushing to get to the intended meeting place. It would be bad if someone were to realize I don't bring here. A crash brings here out of her musings. Peeking over the edge of the bridge, she sees that Juroimoh has finally gone down. “O-oh! I h-have to alert them!” She pulls out the object Riko gave her and grabs the bottom. “I just have to pull it, r-right?” She jumps when the bottom gives in and the top explodes, letting out a loud pop and strings of parchment. Staring at it she whispers, “D-did I do it right?”

●◇●◇●◇●◇

Izu glances around the corner of the shop. He bites at his lips. _What if the flare doesn't go off, or I don't get to Riko and Majikajya fast enough? What if- no! Stop that!_ He pats his cheeks roughly a few times. _I can't be thinking like that! Worrying won’t get you anywhere._ A loud pop comes from the distance and he spots confetti raining down. The flare! He runs back to the alleyway where the others are waiting at.

He skids to a stop when he spots them.  
“So _**Sazonfattsu**_ means-"  
“The flare went off! It's time!” Izu cuts them off breathlessly.  
Riko whirls around, her once long blonde hair now cut up to her ears. Because Majikaya true form is made up of smells contained into a sack, he could switch into a slicker form; one better suited form running. Especially from rampaging creatures.

Hopefully.

“Alright! Let's get to it!" Riko replies with a determined glint in her eyes. Izu nods sharply and casts a glance at Majikajya. “Are you ready?”  
“_**Indemaen**_. Kajya also has a tuff of hair. If it has value, I can use my Fastbody to even do the unreasonable.”

“Okay, let's do it!”

●◇●◇●◇●◇

Izu hears the Fuzosheppu before he spots it. It barrels down the narrow path in front of him and he sucks in a deep breath. “HEY,” he shouts. “OVER HERE!” The creature comes to an abrupt stop before quickly turning down the alleyway he was currently in. “_Oh shi_-!” Izu backpedals and runs back to where Riko and Majikajya are.

“It's coming!”  
Riko jolts and squeaks out an okay! before clambering onto Majikayja's back. Izu follows suit and soon Majikajya is tearing down the path leading towards the meet up point. “HEY! THERE'S YUMMY THINGS OVER HERE!” Riko yells out. The creature screeches and barrels towards them. They yelp as tendrils reach out to grab them. Izu, thinking fast, whips out the knife he got from Embellith and slashes at the creature. One of the tendrils come off and it shrieks in pain, darting back quickly before it attempts to snatch them again. Majikajya dodges before it can. “Nice one!” Riko manages to get out. “Huh? I only tripped!” Is his response.

That is so not comforting.

They grip on tighter to him than Riko thought was possible for a human and Izu to the point were his claws made dents into Majikajya's body. In the narrow spaces the Fuzosheppu crashes into the walls causing rocks to rain down on them. A small rock bounces off Riko's helmet and she let’s out a tiny yelp. “Are you alright!?” Izu questions in concern. “I'm fine,” she replies. “I just hope we'll get there soon!”

“Don't worry! We're almost there!” Majikajya yells out.

Izu looks past Riko's shoulder, and sure enough there's the mirror. He can spot other Narehate's peeking out from behind rocks and in crevices they found. Majikajya dodges out of the way into a safe spot and Izu rolls off and falls to the ground with a _humpf_. Riko climbs off and helps him stand up as they watch the Fuzosheppu screech to a halt in front of the reflective surface.

It hisses back at its reflection and flares up a bit. _Just as Riko thought! It's believes there's another one imposing and is trying to intimidate it._

With it fully distracted, he shouts out, “**_Rahoossu_**!” Riko yells after him, “**_Sazonfattsu_**! **_Wiigorii_**!” A wire net is dropped down onto it and Narehate's scramble to grab the edges of the net and pull it taut. The Fuzosheppu falls to the ground with a resounding thud that shakes the ground. Izu goes to help and pulls at a piece of the net with all his might. Before it could retaliate, the second group swoops in and starts to shoot at it using arrows and spears. The creature struggles for a few seconds before finally falling limp. Everyone pauses, and when it shows no sign of moving anymore they let out cries of victory. 

“We did it,” pants out Izu. His shoulders slump in relief. Riko bounds towards him at squeezes him tightly. “We did it,” she repeats with a smile. Izu blinks as a Meinastoirim (a flat rabbit looking like creature with a frog face) jumps into his arms. “How did this get here?” He asks confused. Riko perks up. “Oh! That’s Meinya! She belonged to a friend before….” She trails off quietly, her happy smile being replaced with a frown. Before he could say anything Moogie comes running up to them. 

“_**Iruburu**_!”

“I was wondering where you two were!” She sighs in relief as she pat’s his cheek and Riko on her helmet. They both give her soft smiles. “ I heard from Izu that you planned all this. Good job.”

“Dining hall lady! You're alright!”

“So we're still with that, huh?” Moogie deadpans.  
Riko let’s out a sheepish chuckle. “Heh, about the plan…..I just thought that they didn’t hunt in packs since it came alone the first and second time. So they should be very territorial and would probably even fight their own species just to keep or gain it. I've heard of some creatures doing something similar.”  
“Oh,” pipes up Izu. “I think I understand. Having it seem like there was another Fuzosheppu, it would become territorial over what it considers theirs and decide to deal with the “threat" first. It's more distracting than just using normal bait!”  
Riko nods in agreement. “Exactly!” 

Moogie stares at Riko and hums. “ You know, you don’t seem like it but you're actually pretty smart.”

“…Thanks, I guess?”

“Oh Moogie.” Izu sighs exasperated as he pets Meinya.

She just snorts before she gains a serious expression and looks at Riko pointedly. “You really should keep valuable things like your hair to yourself.”

“ Well you see, delivers pay back the help they get, too. Because than we might receive a favor in return, right? So in the end, we do it just for ourselves. Is that okay?” She asks.  
Izu huffs in amusement. “I think so. You’ve helped us big time and the others probably wouldn’t have been as nice to. As payment for everything, if you ever need something I'll use something I value.” He finishes with a smile, his four eyes squinting from it. 

Riko and Moogie stare at him in shock. “B-b-but Izu! You don't have-!”  
Loud thumping and squishing noise cut Riko off. They all turn to the Fuzosheppu and see it's body slush around. 

“EVERYONE MOVE!” Izu shrieks.  
Narehate's scramble to get away but it's too late. It explodes outwards; tendrils reach out and grab on to the closes thing. And one of them happened to be him. 

●♡●♡●♡●♡

“IZU!” Riko yells in panic.  
“Ehh… don't worry about me! Here!” He tosses Meinya to her before the tendril pulls him in closer.  
_How can I not worry!?_ She frantically looks around, her breath now coming out in harsh pants. _W-what do I do! It was supposed to be dead so why is still moving!?_ Narehate's are being grab left and right and there is nothing she can do. She shuts her eyes and squeezes Meinya to her chest. _Come on come on come on think! What can I do!?_

A hand sets itself gently onto her shoulders. She freezes when a familiar voice whispers into her ears_. _

_Call me…._

Riko brings up her reformed whistle and blows into it.

_Fooooooooooooon_

It rings out, reaching everywhere at once. She stares in awe and a second later a figure comes crashing into the scene. The dust clears to reveal a young boy with metal arms and legs wearing a strange helmet. His red cape slowly comes to rest on his shins. He turns around at looks at her. “I'm sorry I was gone for so long. Now, Riko, give me my next order.”  
She bursts out into tears. “REG!”

●◇●◇●◇●◇

Izu was being dragged closer to the supposedly dead creature. He let’s out a low growl and starts to wiggle around. He can hear his heart pounding in his chest. _I just have to reach it- there!_ He wrenches his knife free and brings it down to the tendril. It jerks violently but it doesn’t let up. _There has to be a weak spot somewhere come on! His eyes flit all over the creature until- oh! It's already-!_

Before he could do anything a loud sound stops him. Is that….a whistle? There's complete silence until an other loud sound comes, this one a crash. He glances back to see what’s happening and his eyes widen.

_Oh, isn't that one of the friends she was looking for? I’m glad he came back_. Izu is brought out of his stupor when the newcomer ricochets off the ground into a gathering of tendrils, instantly destroying it. He looks on in awe before he remembers what he had been doing. “H-hey! Wait! It's-!”  
The boy reaches the center and abruptly stops. “It's empty…?”  
Izu is roughly dropped onto the ground. “Oof!”

“Oh? It’s over already?” _Wazukyan_?  
“I came to watch but it appears the Queen's dead already. Should I applaud now?” _Yup, that's definitely him. _

Izu pushes himself up and shakes, trying to get rid of all the dust on him. He spots Riko and the boy- Reg, right?- talking to Wazukyan. He stumbles/jogs over to them and hears Wazukyan explain the Fuzosheppu to the two.

“-you see these tiny things?” He holds up a transparent worm-like creature. “These are the males. They group together to make a hive, and if the queen dies they chose another male to take her place. But-! They all got caught so it's too bad.”

Riko frowns deeply. “If you knew then why didn't you tell us? We could've prevented all this.” She gestures around to all the Narehate's picking themselves up after being grabbed.

“Then there would be no festival!” Wazukyan exclaims gleefully. “You see, none of us can leave the village so when entertainment comes around, well…” He finally spots Izu and jolts. “Oh! Izu what did you think of it all?”

Riko turns around quickly when she hears his name. She pulls him into a tight hug. “You're okay!”  
He chuckles sheepishly and gently pat’s her back. “I’m alright. Just a little roughed up.” She pulls away and Izu turns back to Wazukyan. “A-and well… I guess it was kinda fun. It was exciting but mostly scary.” He says a bit embarrassed. Riko and the bo- Reg- both look uncertain but accept it. 

“Hey! There you guys are! I found you…again.” Moogie comes up to them and Izu breaks out into a cold sweat. “U-umm,” his voice cracks. “I’m sor- uck!” A smack to the back of his head cuts him off. “_**What was up with that little stunt, huh! I was scared something bad was gonna happen…**_” Izu looks at her with guilt. “_**I’m so sorry. I didn't mean to get caught, we thought it was dead.**_” She sighs softly. “**_I know, but please be more careful. I think I’d go crazy if I lost you. I value you so much._**” He starts crying and whispers “Thank you, _**Iruburu**_.” She turns to the other two who were standing there awkwardly, startling them. “And you two also need to be careful! I’m sure there's people out there who would be scared if you got hurt. So please, all of you, just be careful.”

They all nod with tears in their eyes.  
Moogie smiles and nods her head in the direction of the market place. “Now come on. You two,” she points to Reg and Riko,” are staying at the Inn, right? Let’s head back there and explain everything that’s happened. Robot Boy was missing for most it, huh?”  
Reg jolts and gives an embarrassed smile. “Heh, that’s right. I would like to hear about everything I missed.” Moogie smiles at him and starts walking towards the market. They all follow her and Izu sniffs, wiping away his tears. He doesn't say anything when the strange woman- Vueko- joins them on their trek back.

●◇●◇●◇●◇

“So all that happened to Nanachi huh?” Reg says with a disturbed look. Riko hums sleepily in agreement from where she was laying down on Vueko. “Belafu would trade them if we had something that was equivalent to the value of a human child or greater…”

“And this is where the Princess comes in…right?” questioned Izu. 

Reg bob’s his head. ”Faputa would be a big help but…. I need to go see her again.” He says while getting up. “U-um, are to sure Reg?” Izu asks nervously. “ I have to learn more, so please,” he looks to Izu and Vueko. “Take care of Riko.” They look at him in shock. Vueko let’s out a tiny okay and Izu nods. “Of course…good luck.” He flashes them all a determined smile and takes off.

After a couple minutes of silence Riko speaks up. “Vueko, what is Faputa?”

“…she's the embodiment of value. Time works so differently here I’m not sure how long ago it was. When we first came here we were filled with hope. We didn't learn about the curse until it was too late. We lost three of our people…with no hope of ever returning home, Wazukyan declared us as the first citizens of the bottom of the abyss.” Her voice trails off softly.

“_**Madou maikooh**_.” Izu jumps slightly, not expecting Moogie to speak up. He glances nervously at Vueko and clears his throat. “Um, Vueko, just who are you?” His ears flatten against his head as Moogie speaks up again. “I've been here for a long time and I’ve never seen ya around before. And what you just told us is something the Three Sages never spoke of about to us, no matter how many times we ask. So how do you know?” She squints suspiciously at her, sifting closer to him.

“O-oh, ummm,” Riko jumps to her defense. “I found her “within the eye" and-" Vueko cuts her off. “I-it's fine.” She looked up at them, her eyes hollow. It sent shivers down his spine.

“I…am a survivor of the suicide corps ‘Ganja'.” We heard of a golden city at the bottom of the abyss and we aspired for it… my full name is Veroeruko. I was one of the Three Sages. B-but please, call me Vueko. O-oh, and please…keep this all a secret.” She trails off quietly.

Everyone stares in shock.  
“You wanted to know about Faputa, right?”

She speaks up again. “I thought that maybe I could get away with leaving some things out…so I’ll give it to you straight. If I tell you there's no turning back.”

Everyone looks at each other with determined/curious faces. Riko glances to Izu and he nods shakily.  
“Vueko, please tell us! We can’t give up this far in! We want to know.” Riko pipes up.

Vueko slowly looks up, her red and white hair falling into her glazed eyes. “Alright then.” He gulped.

She goes on to describe everything. Izu doesn't know whether to cry or vomit.

●♤●♤●♤●♤

Blood drips on the floor.

“Now, together…let’s eradicate them, sosu.”

A soft smile is given.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Iruburu" - means mother 10% of the time  
"Indemean" - of course  
"Rahoossu" - do it  
"Sazonfattsu" - metal wire squad  
"Wiigorii" - hold him down
> 
> Things are starting to diverge from canon even more. I also realized that it might take awhile for Izuku to get back to his original world.  
(To be honest this story feels like a mess lmao)  
Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. 💕🐇


	4. What do you wish for the most?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vueko tells her story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure if I was going to add this chapter but I decided to do it. I'm not sure how many have actually read MiA, so I put in the villages and Vueko's backstory.  
(Underlined sentences are direct quotes from the manga.)
> 
> Edit: Thank you soooo much! We've got over 500 hits, 39 kudos, a comment and a bookmark!

Izu has been staring blankly at his walls for awhile now.  
His head was filled with white static and it didn't seem like it would be stopping anytime soon. He let’s out a frustrated growl and presses his palms to his eyes roughly. It’s been an hour since Vueko told the horrific story about the birth of Ilblu and Faputa. Izu left the Inn, ignoring Moogie’s concerned look and went back to his little home. He wasn't as naïve to think that the village's history would be an happy occurrence; this is the Sixth Layer after all. It's been given the terrible name like Capital of the Unreturned for a reason, but… what he learned just made his stomach turn in disgust.

  
_《》《》《》《》《》_

_I had no family to call my own so I was adopted by a man. He was a horrible person, a scum of the earth. He would always boast about how in his past life he was the “leading character"… he constantly told that story so I remember it vividly. One day he went off shore to hunt. His ship came across another one sending up smoke into the ocean. They went to go investigate and found the source of the smoke. It was spilling from a man's mouth, his corpse smoldering with no sign of a fire anywhere. As they continued forward they found a bisected man still squirming…. And another one whose organs were spilled out. They finally came across a man who was still alive in the cabin. Whatever happened to him left him in state of extreme shock. He was barely able to talk. There, he found a special compass, one that would point straight up in this monstrous hole that leads all the way to the bottom of the earth. ‘A man-eating hole' he said… and that within it there was a Golden City. The man died soon after. When he came back he put a heated pole to my head and kept on telling me how he was with this ‘Golden City'. I’m… I’m different from a boastful man like you… I started training for the sole purpose of finding this city. I learned how to forge, how to climb, first-aid, endurance. I was determined to find this acclaimed city, a place away from everybody…. away from his voice which still lingered after he was gone. Soon I found myself on ship heading towards this terrible place. Heh, to be honest, no matter how much I trained I wasn’t prepared for sea sickness. I was entrusted with the ‘Star Compass’ and when I questioned Wazukyan about why he just said it was because I was one of the Great Sages of Ganja… how I really ‘lighted the way' and how he prediction would come true. We were close to our destination. After that conversation he went off to catch a mouse… he was truly a strange man. Belafu, another Great Sage told me that Wazukyan might has well have divine possession. That he even predicted my introduction as a safe the day before I showed up. I went on to ask Belafu of it was okay for someone like me to be a sage. I couldn't even be sold with this ugly body. He went on to tell me that ‘Beauty is in the eyes.’ That no matter how much I suffer I should glare back and be merciful and aspiring. …He told me I was deserving of love and happiness. Fu-eh, it really shocked me, heh. A few days later a huge storm hit, taking most of our ships with it. Our and one other was the only surviving ones. That’s when the compass started pointing to the direction in front of us. There, in the distance was the island where the abyss was located. When the ship reached land we all pushed forward. We climbed up the side and there it was…. The man-eating hole with a golden city inside. Before we could do anything else we were surrounded by the natives of the island. It was pretty scary actually… there was no mention of them beforehand. They stood there, covered in furs, pointing all sorts of weapons at us. Belafu understood some of their language and he learned that they came here a long time ago and claimed the land as theirs. They called the giant hole the Abyss. That was the only information that they were really willing to give up. Out of nowhere a man started screaming something at me while pointing to the Star Compass. It turned out that they would help in exchange for the compass. I agreed pretty easily because I wanted to learn more about this place… I wanted to find the light that no one else has found before. We were told that nobody ever returned from the Abyss, but that the golden city did exist. When we reached the edge at the top of the Abyss, a commotion broke out. It turned out that one of the natives had followed us; a little girl with white hair, and large, round eyes. Her back was tattooed. It said “Body not suited to give birth, therefore we relinquish it to the Abyss…” She was sent to follow us. One of the group members wanted to send her back, but when I looked into her eyes something in me didn't want to let her go. I argued that she could help us because she was a native and knew the area better than us. Wazukyan agreed to it pretty easily. We continued forward and a while later, the little girl pointed to one of our members that had climbed up to scope out the area better. Not a second later he fell and one of the men rushed to grab him. The boy looked ill….there was vomit running down his face and he was shaking badly. At first I thought that it was poison but the girl told us that anyone who enters the Abyss will be eaten. She kept repeating the word “zhom.” In our language the closest it translated to was curse. Wazukyan was pleased that she came with us. Everyone was more excited than before to reach the Golden City. We were Ganja, the suicide corps who were abandoned by our homelands and people. The further we descended the more we wished to know about everything: the relics, lands and creatures you hand never seen before, and the curse. We rode a strange contraption that took us deeper into the Abyss; we rode it for what felt like days. Once it had stopped we had finally arrived at what is now known as the sixth layer, the place were the acclaimed golden city was supposed to be. At the entrance there stood four strange machines, waiting for us. Everyone went on guard and Belafu and Wazukyan tried to speak with them. They didn't speak our language but they seemed intelligent. They beckoned us to follow them and we hesitantly agreed. After a tedious hike they lead us to what we have been searching for; the Golden City. One of the machines heard someone ask if this was the golden city and tried to mimic their speech. A creature came out of nowhere and snatched it up. We could only stare in horror as more and more of the creature's tentacles came back, grabbing and taking some of our members. Someone broke out of their stupor and yelled at us to retreat. Another one of the machines picked up our language easily and tried to tell us how they didn’t mean for it to happen. They weren't trying to lead us to a trap, they just didn’t take into account of all the humans. Belafu thought that this was all some kind of sick joke, but Wazukyan believed that there was something greater than gold and we just haven’t found it yet. The machines told us that they were called Interference Units. Their job was to observe, contact, search and gather new languages and sights. They only wanted to learn more about us. We learned that this land was harsher than the ones we left, but we had no choice than to make this place our second home. Despite everything, we knew that only this terrible place could fulfill our desires. We set up camp and began to divide up our resources. The Interference Units were sent to look for drinkable water. I learned that the little native girl- Irumyuui, she told me- knew how to read better than all of us. Belafu asked me to teach her our language so she could translate phrases we didn’t know. Time passes and Irumyuui was slowly learning. She told us about how legends said the inhabitants of the Golden City had patterns on their bodies. Her people adopted it as a coming of age ritual; to get felt their bodies tattooed. We also discovered one of the cities creatures. It was a small thing, docile and cute. Irumyuui was smitten with it. I managed to convince Wazukyan to let us keep it by saying we could study its habits and find a breakthrough to our survival. The Interference Units managed to find five watering holes that were low enough to keep us from catching the affects of the curse. The problem was that two of them were in the domain of deadly creatures that even they couldn't pass through. The other three had little wager and fewer creatures. Because they didn’t need water to survive, we had to check for ourselves to see if they were potable. The first one was contaminated with mining residue while the second one was too hot for us to even get close to. The final was perfect, the water was clear. We used it as our foundation for everything. We slowly began to adapt to our new environment; we learned how to fight off the man-eating city's creatures, though we did suffer some casualties. Everything seemed to be going well, we had food, water, shelter, the basics. It looked like we found a place to call home. It was dumb of us to think that we could ever fi d happiness in a place like this. One day, when I woke up, I turned to check on Irumyuui. She looked terrible. She was pale and shaky and had horrible diarrhea. I noticed what looked like eggs and caterpillars in it. I was called to check on four other members who had mild fevers the say before. They were suffering the same symptoms as Irumyuui although….their feet and hands looked like molten lead that had hardened. I tended to the I’ll while two teams went to scavenge for food and to gather more water. The food scavenging team came back first. Only three came back but they all soon died after. They were hard to recognize, the looked like they had turn into trees. One of them had brought back a new egg-shaped relic. When the second team came back we learned that the water we’ve been drinking actually came from the corpse of a giant creature. Whatever killed the creature had laid eggs in it, disguising itself as water. We were out of water choices, we could either drink the mock water and turn to stone or die of thirst. Wazukyan had asked about the relic that was brought back. The Interference Units told us that they're made from wishes, and the one the team had found was a very powerful one. They called it “The Cradle of Greed,” and in our language, “ A Wish-Fulfilling Egg.” They told us it was better for a child to use it, an adult's emotions are too messy and they could end up like the scavenging team. Days had passed and we had no antidote for the illness. Irumyuui’s hands had begun to warp and I was desperate to help her. I brought up the idea of giving her the Cradle of Greed with Wazukyan. He agreed to it so I put it to her chest. When I woke up the next morning Irumyuui was well again although….her hands were still warped and the relic fused itself to her. What few healthy people were left were dropping fast. The Interference Units manage to being back clean water from further watering g holes. If I were to fall to the illness than Irumyuui would have been all by herself. I went to check on her one day and….her body had changed; it was becoming going more deformed. She never felt any pain. All I could do was wish that giving her the relic was the right choice. That night we woke up to a loud screeching sound coming from Irumyuui's tent. She had giving birth to a strange creature….she seemed so happy that I just helped her clean it off. It didn't have any organs to digest food with, so the “baby" died the next night. I helped her mourn. She gave birth to another one the next night. It also died the following morning. It was a morbid cycle, she would give birth, they would die, and she would mourn. I woke up one day with diarrhea. I had finally fallen I’ll. There was so much going on in my mind. I wanted Irumyuui to be happy, I wanted to be there for her, I wanted water…… I passed out. I woke up to someone spoon feeding me something delicious. I fell back asleep and when I woke up for the third time I felt better. Wazukyan told me that he helped the other patients….and how he knew Irumyuui was going to save us. When I went to check on Belafu he had fallen I’ll as well, but he refused to take the medicine. He just sat there, apologizing and scratching at his face. Wazukyan pulled me away to go see Irumyuui. He told me how she just kept on giving birth every day, how some of the “babies" were even arm length in size. When I finally saw her….you would have never believed she used to be a human girl if you hadn’t seen her beforehand. She lost her ability to speak, and even though all her children died a day later, she would hold them lovingly. Wazukyan took her newest child and she let out a long, grief-filled scream. I asked him to give it back to her but he refused, saying they actually helped relieve mock water symptoms. He cut up the child….it's what he had been feeding us. Her children….I cried as I apologized to her. She just held me close. I didn’t know what to do to protect her wishes. Although I longed to be punished, I couldn't think of any place better then this hell we tried to make our home. I tried to give Belafu the “medicine” but he would always refuse and cry. Everyone else learned to bear it by praying and lying. Irumyuui had stopped crying by the time everyone had accepted their fate. She grew larger with every passing day, and we I checked her at point I noticed another relic placed inside her. The Interference Units had found it and Wazukyan had placed it in her while I had collapsed. Her wish had become distorted and I felt helpless. We all did. She started moving one day and we abandoned our camp to follow. A few of the members were killed along the way by creatures. She stopped and tendrils grew out of her, snatching anything that was flying close by and eating it. At that point Belafu had had enough, and begged Irumyuui to eat him. He asked her to tear apart his very being. Her mouth opened up and he walked straight in….he came out transformed; another creature of the abyss. Where a human once was, was now a dragon-like monster wearing a mask resembling his face…. Everyone believed that they would be forgiven by sacrificing themselves and in return the would be granted new bodies. They began to follow Belafu’s lead. I knew that she wouldn’t have wanted this so I tried to kill myself…Wazukyan caught me and knocked me out. When I came to I was naked and chained up in a dark hole. Wazukyan was there waiting for me, transformed. He placed me inside of Irumyuui's head. He talked about how this was meant to happen and was going to continue happening. The Abyss has a way of luring people in. I could feel faint signals within the darkness. Even though she had lost all of her humanity she kept on holding tightly to her wish. And it came true. Irumyuui gave birth to one last daughter: Faputa. She burst out with a scream filled with pain and rage. She held a the regrets of her brothers and sisters, of her mother who was turned into a place to live. She couldn't forgive anyone. She destroyed the Interference Units and fled. I can only pray that that lonely princess could fulfill her mother's wish and break her free of her curse, and than set out to find a wish of her own…. In the darkness of Irumyuui's head I could feel the presence her other children. I gave them all names and took care of them in place of their mother. The value that’s brought to the village is only thing keeping Irumyuui alive because Faputa inherited the relics. The village is bigger and stronger than before….._  
_“What does Faputa want?” Riko questioned quietly._  
_“To liberate her mother and bring this place to ruins…she has been searching for a way for a long time now.”_  
_“Isn't there anyway to convince her not to?”_  
_“….It would be like if someone asked you to give up delving.”_  
_“Oh,” Riko turns to look at Vueko. “What do you want?”_  
_Vueko gives a sad smile. “I just don’t want to forget her.”_

_《》《》《》《》《》_

Izu finally gives in and cries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this story is such a mess lmao
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. 💕


	5. Apology Accepted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "An apology is a lovely perfume, it can transform the clumsiest moment into a gracious gift."  
~Margaret Lee Runbeck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Words that are in bold and italicized are Ilblu language.  
-Words that are in bold, italicized and underlined means someone is speaking full Ilblu language.  
-Words only underlined are direct quotes taken from MiA manga.

Izu slowly wakes up from his impromptu nap and rubs at his sore eyes. His ears twitch as he blankly stares at one of his walls, waiting for his mind to catch up with the rest of him. _What….? Oh…_ Everything came rushing back to him and he felt like he ran head first into a wall. Then he remembered how he just left without saying anything and felt even worse. _I should go find them and apologize._ He scrambled off his bed/nest, nearly falling off in the process and dashed around the home. _Moogie isn't here. Maybe the restaurant?_

He ran outside making his way to Moogie's restaurant, noticing that there was barely anyone else out. It was nighttime, or what could be considered night inside the sixth layer of a giant hole. He stopped. _If it's night than why isn't Moogie back at home? Did something happen? Is she hurt or is she just mad at him for running off._ Anxiety takes over and he makes his way to the restaurant faster than before, nearly running on all fours. He arrives and skids to stop when he spots her behind the counter with her back turned to him, cooking .His worry lessens as he slowly pads his way over. Sliding into the seat directly behind her, he finally catches the scent wafting through the air and let’s out a small noise of surprise. _Is she..?_

Moogie turns around out at the noise and gives him a soft smile. His heart eases itself.

“_**Hmmm. I thought you might be hungry when you woke up, so I started making your favorite.**_” One of her tentacles sets down a plate in front of him. His stomach growls loudly and he blushes a light grey as he nods in embarrassment. He reaches for the spoon when he pauses, remembering why he came over here. He swallows and pulls his hand back and looks up to Moogie.

“_**I’m sorry for running off like that. I-it's just…I wasn’t fully prepared to hear that story. All they pain they went through and then W-Wazukyan. He's always so nice to everyone but what he did was terrible. I know it was for survival but… I don’t think I can really look at him or any of the Three Sages properly anymore...**_” Izu trails off softly. Moogie sighs and walks out from behind the counter and takes the seat next to him. “_**I know what you mean. This village was built from many things. Sacrifices, hope, greed, terror… but that was a long, long time ago. We can’t change what happened in the past but we can make a better future. We can honor Irumyuui and all her hardships by living on. She gave us another chance when we arrived here in the sixth layer. Without her wish, all of us delvers would either be dead or suffering a worse fate.**_” She shifts in her seat and reaches out a hand to gently pat his head. “_**Just remember that even though what the Ganja corps did was terrible, they where desperate to find a way to survive. You don’t have to act like everything is like it used to be, but keep in mind that they suffered just as much as she did….I’m sorry that I’m not to good at this comforting thing.**_” She sighs and rests her chin into the palms of her hands. 

Izu started at her with wide eyes and shook his head rapidly. “_**N-no! That’s not true! I-I get what you’re trying to say, s-so thank you. I actually feel a bit better know.**_” His shoulders sag and glances at her. “_**What about you? How do you feel?**_”

She hums. “_**I think… about the same as you. I’m still trying to fully absorb what we just learned, but I’ll be fine.**_”  
He squirms in his seat and turns to face her. “_**Then we’ll both work it out together and we’ll both be fine. Is that alright?**_” He asks shyly.  
Moogie blinks and then let’s out a chuckle.

_**“Of course we'll work it out together. We're family. Now eat before you’re food gets cold.**_” She nudges him towards the bowl. Izu gives a large grin, his pointy teeth not making it any less happy. He digs in and they chat about different things.

The air around them feels lighter.

●◇●◇●◇●◇

Izu stares at the entrance of the Inn with his hands clasped together and ears twitching nervously. Morning had arrived (yet again, only what can be described as morning in a giant hole) and he decided to look for Riko- and maybe Vueko- to apologize to them for yesterday. Releasing a deep breath, he steels his shoulders and marches in. He spots the owner and before he could do anything else, Riko turns around the corner. “Oh!” They both say surprised. (Which is stupid of him; he came here for a reason.)

“U-um Riko,” he pipes up before she could say anything. “I wanted to apologize for yesterday.”

Riko just blinks and tilts her head to the side…that’s awfully cute. “What for?”  
He blushes brightly and her eyes widen, noticing the unnatural color. “I-it's just that I walked out without saying anything yesterday a-and that’s pretty rude and I really should apologize to Vueko too, so have you seen her?” He says in quickly.

Riko makes a noise of understanding and smiles brightly. “You don't have to apologize! I get why you left. Hearing all that must've been tough, huh? And for Vueko… she went back to _**Dogupu**_. She said it would be better for her hide because she didn’t want any of the other Sages finding her.” 

Seeing his ears drop down in sadness she rushes to complete her train of thought. “But! I’m pretty sure she understands also! Vueko wasn’t upset with you, but she probably would have accepted your apology anyway.”

Izu smiles at her gratefully. “Thank you…but I still wish I could have said sorry to her before she left. Going near **_Dogupu_** is difficult for us. It's like something was trying to keep us away….which makes sense now.”

“It does actually. Oh! I was going to go look for Reg! He hasn't come back yet and I’m getting kinda worried. Do you think you could help me search for him?”

He nods eagerly before pausing. “Well, I can only help you look around the village. When I was brought to the village, I was granted its protection. In exchange I cannot leave here; a force field bounds us to this place, and besides, it would be too dangerous for you to go alone. You could be affected by the curse or you could come across one of the layers creatures. N-not to say that you’re weak or anything, it's the exact opposite really! It's just that they're near impossible to fight on your own. It's safer with a group.”

Riko's shoulder's sag, but she still smiles. “Ahh…I see. You're right. I guess we should just stick to looking around the village." She replies sheepishly. “Maybe he came back and just got lost? This place has a bit of a confusing layout and we were still learning it.”

“Don’t worry, while we're looking for Reg I can also show you around the village to help you become better acquainted with it.

“Thanks! Now let's go!”

Riko pivots around and takes a step towards the entrance of the Inn when Reg rushes in.

_Speak of the devil and he shall- what the hell?!_

Izu's ears rise in alarm and he tenses with a small growl escaping his throat. Reg is panting in fatigue as he cradles two objects close to his chest.

“Reg!?” Riko calls out in alarm. “What happened?”

In his arm are two bloody limbs; a white furry arm with clawed fingers and an ear resembling that of a fox. Reg brings them closer and more blood starts to spill onto his chest and down on to the floor.

“Where did you get those?” Izu questions cautiously.

Reg shuffles around and sucks in a deep breath. “I-it's from- from Faputa.”

Izu squeaks in horror. “_**The princess!?**_”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter and for taking so long to post it. I just start my senior year of high school (finally) so things might get a bit hectic. I'll try my best to post as much as I can and stay on track with the story. Also sorry for the abrupt ending.
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading! 💕


End file.
